Online or cloud video game services, also called video gaming on-demand, is a type of remotely-hosted video gaming that allows direct, on-demand streaming of video games and applications to players using a wide variety of computers, consoles, and mobile devices to display the game and input commands. In a typical online video gaming architecture, the actual video game or application program is executed remotely on one or more game servers, with a compressed interactive video stream being delivered over the Internet or other network directly to computers accessing the server through the user's client device. This type of architecture obviates the need for the user to purchase an expensive console or high-end client device having substantial processing power. Essentially, the user's client device (console, computer, etc.) is unimportant, as the remote server has the processing power to actually run the video game or application. The user only needs a relatively simple or “thin” client device to decompress the incoming video stream sent directly from the server, and transmit input commands/controls back to the server. The server then sends back the game's response to the user's input commands/controls.
The architectural components and configurations of remotely-hosted online game services have typically been costly and complex. For example, when hosting multi-player, fast-action (i.e., “twitch”) video games and applications, or when providing spectating services for such games, past approaches have utilized a large number of components and complex hosting service and streaming systems. Additionally, changes made to the look-and-feel of an online gaming service and programs has often necessitated changes or upgrades also be made to the user client device.